EU summit aims for peace talks on Ukraine with Russian reps

The European Union wants to negotiate with Russia regarding Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, a meeting with Russian representatives will be organized after the peace summit in Switzerland.

The peace summit in Switzerland is scheduled for June 15-16. The Ukrainian president emphasized that three issues are most important for Ukraine to be determined: nuclear energy security, food security, and prisoner exchange.

"Summit that will show who in the world really wants to end the war and not just claim the ceasefire which will inevitably be broken by Russian rockets and artillery just like it was dozens, dozens of times before," said Zelensky.

According to Bloomberg, the European Union plans to organize a conference about Ukraine after this event. This time, Russian representatives are expected to take part. The agency reports that talks could occur in Saudi Arabia in the fall.

Representatives from several G7 countries are expected to attend the June summit in Switzerland. However, neither U.S. President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris will attend.

Zelensky also appealed for the participation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. However, according to Bloomberg, China and Brazil are planning a "competing initiative" at that time. Beijing has stated that it would support any international peace conference on Ukraine, but only on the condition of Moscow's participation.

China believes the conference should "involve the equal participation of all parties and a fair discussion" about peace plans. "China encourages all efforts conducive to a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis," the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

According to Bloomberg, the Kremlin is trying to influence countries supporting its actions and exclude the most critical powers from participating in the summit. Brazil and India suggest sending lower-level officials, while Beijing could be represented only by a higher-level official.